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New Sound (Card)

I was missing in action for the pass 2 weeks (not even on FB most of the time) as I was working night shifts consecutively for the last 14 days with only a day of break in between them. Anyway, I actually bought this headset last week and I was very very happy with it so I decided to write something about it.

I guess some of you might have seen my last entry which was a new PC for my sister (and me :P) and I was getting a bit put off by the internal sound card. I used to have an X-Fi Sound blaster card in my old system and I was planning to shift it over to my new PC. But due to minor depression of missing my family in Thailand... I went onto the net (retail therapy again) to look around and saw that Creative released a new chipset... the Core3d processor! Bloody quad-core processor for voice and sound. Call it marketing hype or what-so-ever but it looks interesting. The new Recon3D card costs around $150 each and then I saw an interesting product on theie website. It's actually a wireless headset called Soundblaster Recon3d Omega Wireless. It's actually their top range wireless headset bundled with the new Sound blaster Recon3D USB controller. Whoa... external sound card via USB. Then it dawns on me to get a USB version. Why? It allows me to move the sound (card) processor around! I could bring it into office and used it on my lousy desktop computer with my earphones!

The idea excites me and I checked out the price for the recon3d unit alone (without the headset)... bloody $169 for the Recon3d USB version.... more expensive then the PCI-e card leh. And moreover it only has headset output. I can't connect it to a normal 5.1 speakers to get the THX surround. Then I made the silly silly mistake of going down to Marina Square Creative show room last Monday to test out the new gadget. I brought along my Sony inner earphones to test it out. The display set is actually the Recon3d paired with the Tactic Wireless headset (the link above). I ask the saleswoman for permission to test out my earphones and she gladly obliged but a bit blur blur on where the connection is (think need more training) . Anyway, I managed to figure it out and plug my headphones into the front headphone jack. No sound came out (they were playing a movie). Hmm, I thought faulty or wat but another guy came over and explained that the Recon is paired to the Wireless tactic headset so it could not output out. He asked me to try the headset first and so I stupidly obliged..... Initially I was reluctant as I hated those wireless headsets. Normally they are just trash to my ears. This however, proves me wrong. The headset was just fantastic! I think the technology might have matured over the years but I still could not believe the sound coming out of it. Anyway, the guy also powered off the wireless headset and I tried my own personal headphone. Another BIG mistake. It dosen't sound as good as the wireless headset..... :P The bass and clarity on the Tactic headset is definitely much better then my Sony ones (which is actually already a very very good inner ear isolated headphones I bought) I think my Shures would perform better but they are in Thailand....

So in the end I bought the Recon3d Omega Wireless headset ($329). I couldn't test it straight away as I was working night shift that day so I just charged the headset while I was working and used the Recon3d with my Sony earphone. Installation was really easy, really just plug and play and you get better sound without running any software! But for more controls, just install the software provided and you get to tweak the eq and THX surround sound and others.

After a week using the system (watching movies, listening to music and some gaming). I think it's a good buy. For those really who are interested in music or wish to have a better listening experience, it's a no brainer.

Yes, it's pricy but for 300++ you can get sound almost on par with a 10k audiophile system is a bargain to me anyway. And please, although I'm a fan of Soundblaster cards dosen't mean I'm bluffing. Go try it and you will understand. :)